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01 Apr 2015 8:50:03am

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Thank you for a thoughtful discussion on an organisational culture that is foreign to me. One sentence, however struck me as being ill-founded : “5. A Culture of Celibacy … Concerning the response to abuse, it seems obvious that celibate males will not respond to the abuse of children with the instinctive fierceness and passion of people who have their own children, so celibacy has also contributed to the poor response.”I find nothing “obvious” in this statement. Does celibacy so circumscribe your empathy and morality that you cannot respond with fierceness and passion in the face of abuse towards children? Does the same apply to celibate females? Many non-celibate people do not have children – are they also unable to feel this level of instinctive reaction towards the protection and defence of children? Does having a child of your own mean you will instinctively respond fiercely and passionately to abuse of children other than your own?